There was this brief moment of clarity when it was 15 degrees outside and I looked at Stephen and said, “who the F decides to start a fashion blog in the middle of a NYC winter.” I swear, every winter I decide I’m moving back to California. When people talk about the East Coast they always say, “but you have the seasons, I love the seasons,” well…if you mean it’s freezing all winter, ridiculously humid all summer, and nice for about three weeks every fall, then yes we have “seasons.” But alas, I drank the NYC Kool-Aid and despite the inconveniences, crowdedness, and astronomical cost of living I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Luckily, NYC winters bring with them unpredictability and brief patches of 50-60 degree weather. I think it’s sort of interesting how SoCal residents will bundle up during this type of weather, whereas New Yorkers practically throw on shorts and decide outdoor seating is an option again. This day at El Luchador was one of those days.

I’m just going to come right out and say it, I rarely wear pants. This truth is best illustrated through the following example: Stephen was planning a surprise “date day” – since I’m not fond of surprises I pressed for details, at least on the outfit front. The only clue he gave me was “you have to wear pants” to which I responded “so….horseback riding.” Stephen said I am the only person in the entire world for whom “pants” would be such an obvious clue. Needless to say, NYC winters are not the best fit for someone with a strained relationship with pants. I survive by utilizing the ‘just add tights’ rule of thumb, combined with heavy outerwear and Uber of course. I actually find tights to be pretty warm, I’m not sure how they provide any warmth at all, but for me they are an essential winter layer. I prefer tights to be on the sheerer side so you can still see the shape of the leg, solid/opaque tights are too reminiscent of leggings or Under Armour for my taste. In my downtime, I essentially live in leggings but it’s not a great look under skirts. The Holy Grail of sheer tights for me are fishnets, if I had to give one point to support fishnets it would be that they don’t rip. I gave black nylons a shot for a while but they ripped, without fail Every. Single. Wear. So now I am a born-again fishnet supporter and haven’t looked back.